The money comes from a 2014 settlement between New Jersey and several organizations accused of polluting the Passaic River.
NEWARK -- Grants totaling $53 million will make possible 12 projects across northern New Jersey to improve public access to the Passaic River, public officials announced Wednesday in Newark's Riverside Park.
The state grant money, which comes from a 2014 settlement between the state and companies accused of polluting the urban waterway, will fund the initiatives to develop areas along the waterfront.
"Rivers like the Passaic are some of our greatest treasures," Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno said at the press conference. "I don't need to tell anyone who lives along a river that it's not just recreation. It's not just an economic factor. It's really a family and a community factor."
For years, the Passaic River running through some of the most industrial parts of New Jersey collected discharges from factories and sewage treatment centers. The river became one of the country's most polluted bodies of water, and clean-up is estimated to carry a $1.38 billion price tag.
An additional $14 million from the state's settlement eventually will fund restoration projects in and around the Newark Bay, state Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bob Martin said.
For now, the 12 projects receiving funding are:
- Newark Community Economic Development Corporation ($17.96 million) -- Newark continues to expand Riverfront Park to include new paths and trails, gardens, scenic overlooks and educational, floating barges. Baraka at the press conference said development of the area signaled that a "renaissance" had come to Newark. "We're going to have an incredibly beautiful park here that's not just recreation space, but will also buttress the kind of development that we were waiting for in this city for a very long time," he said.
- Bayonne ($900,013) -- The city plans to build 1,200 feet of walkways with recreational and educational opportunities. Part of the walkway will be a boardwalk that connects to a kayak access point and a boat launch.
- Carteret ($6.58 million) -- The borough is developing its marina around the Arthur Kill. The project will include floating docks, a system to decrease the impacts of waves, improved parking facilities and other updates.
- Carteret ($6.67 million) -- Grant money will also fund the construction of a 1.4-mile walkway along the Arthur Kill.
- Passaic County and City of Passaic ($5 million) -- The county and city will work with the nonprofit Trust for Public Land to restore public access to the river at Dundee Island.
- Essex County ($5 million) -- The county plans to build a boathouse, boat launch and dock as an extension to Newark's Riverfront Park. The boathouse will hold up to 100 boats.
- Hackensack ($695,000) -- Funding will go toward improving Johnson Park with launch spaces for kayaks and other boats, a 110-space parking lot and other amenities.
- Garfield ($1.73 million) -- The city plans to build a riverwalk along River Drive with a park, playground, gazebo, decorative lighting and bike trails.
- Town of Harrison ($1.8 million) -- The funding will go toward acquiring a 6.7-acre site to create public access to the Passaic River waterfront.
- Middlesex County ($1.35 million) -- The county intends to create a waterfront park and esplanade next to Washington Street in Perth Amboy. The proposal includes more than 700 feet of walkway and new athletic fields along the lower Arthur Kill.
- Town of Harrison ($3 million) -- Harrison plans to develop a 12.5-acre park along the river that will include fitness stations, a dog park, overlooks, a food truck plaza, sports fields and wetland creation.
- Bloomfield ($3 million) -- The township plans to build an 18-acre municipal park with a meadow, a butterfly garden, an environmental center, river access and a youth soccer field.
"These communities have borne the burden of the environmental damage incurred along the Passaic River and the Newark Bay complex for decades," Martin said. "They're very proud that they're getting this money."
The funding for the 12 projects is an addition to the cost of the river's clean-up, which the alleged polluters will pay separately, Martin said.
Marisa Iati may be reached at miati@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @Marisa_Iati. Find NJ.com on Facebook.